1. Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure relates generally to a method for performing printing on a plurality of media sheets in imaging devices, such as printers, photocopiers and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Imaging devices are commonly used to reproduce a textual and/or a graphical data on media sheets, such as paper sheets, transparencies and the like. Such reproduction of the textual and/or the graphical data on the media sheet is generally referred to as “printing”. Typical imaging devices may include inkjet printers, laser printers, photocopiers and the like. Generally, a conventional printer may be communicably coupled to a host device, such as a desktop computer, which acts as a source of the textual and/or the graphical data that is to be printed on the media sheets. A user on the host device may initiate printing on the printer by transmitting an appropriate command from the host device to the printer. In return, the host device converts the textual and/or the graphical data into a binary image data. The host device may transmit the binary image data to the printer for commencing printing on the media sheets. Preferably, the binary image data may be further converted to a format that is readily understood by the printers. The conversion may be carried out by the host device prior to transmission of the binary image data or by the printer upon receipt of the binary image data from the host device. Further, the printer may perform printing of the textual and/or the graphical data on the media sheets by utilizing the binary image data.
Further, the conventional printers generally include a printing unit adapted to perform printing on media sheets. For example, a conventional inkjet printer includes a printing unit having at least one printhead. The at least one printhead may include a plurality of nozzles configured thereon and at least one ink tank having an ink stored therein. Each of the plurality of nozzles may be configured with an activation resistor and a bubble chamber adapted to receive ink therein. The plurality of nozzles may be “fired” by means of activation resistors, such that a corresponding activation resistor of the each nozzle heats the ink in the corresponding bubble chamber of the each nozzle. The ink heats up to form an ink bubble in the bubble chamber. The ink bubble is expelled out of the nozzle on to the media sheet, thereby forming an ink dot on the media sheet. The printing unit activates only the appropriate activation resistors based on the binary image data such that a definite pattern of ink dots is formed on the media sheet for reproducing the textual and/or the graphical data thereon.
Generally, conventional imaging devices may provide a user with various options related to a quality with which a textual and/or a graphical data may be printed on media sheets. Such options related to quality of print may be referred to as “print modes”. For example, print modes in a conventional printer may include a “draft print mode”, a “normal print mode” and a “rich print mode”. Specifically, the “rich print mode” is characterized by a high resolution printing and utilizes more ink/toner as compared to other print modes. The “draft print mode” is an economical print mode and is characterized by a low resolution printing. Accordingly, the “draft print mode” utilizes less amount of ink/toner. The draft print mode may also be characterized as having a reduced print time as compared to the “rich print mode”. Usually, a finalized version of a document may be printed by utilizing the “rich print mode” while a preliminary version of the document, such as a review copy thereof, may be printed in the “draft print mode”. The user may select an appropriate print mode prior to commencing printing of a document based on the type of the document he/she desires to print.
For the convenience of the user, many conventional imaging devices provide an option of setting a default print mode such that the user is not required to select the print mode every time he/she desires to print a document. For example, the user may set the default print mode as “rich print mode” so that each document is printed with high resolution. However, setting the default print mode may sometimes cause problem to the user. For example, the user may forget to change the default print mode (i.e. the “rich print mode”) while printing a document that was preferred to be printed in the “draft print mode”. Accordingly, the document may be printed in the “rich print mode”, thereby leading to a waste of ink/toner. Also, it may happen that the user may desire to cancel the printing with the default print mode and initiate a fresh printing using the “draft print mode”. However, procedure for cancellation of printing in most of the conventional printers is very cumbersome and time-consuming leading to loss of productivity. Moreover, it may happen that before the user cancels the printing, a portion of the document (i.e., a few pages thereof) already is printed in the “rich print mode”, thereby causing a waste of ink/toner and media sheets. Accordingly, the conventional techniques of changing the print modes in an imaging device, as described herein, are cumbersome, and are not time-effective or economical.
Based on the foregoing, there is a need for efficiently printing on media sheets in an imaging device in a manner that involves minimal wasting of ink/toner and media sheets associated with changing a print mode of the imaging device. Specifically, there is a need for enabling printing on the media sheets in a manner such that switching between print modes of the imaging device is time-effective and less cumbersome. Moreover, the switching between the print modes of the imaging device may be enabled in a manner that prevents wasting of media sheets and ink/toner.